Quebec Appeals Injunction Against Assisted-Dying Law

MONTREAL — Quebec government lawyers will be in court today to appeal an injunction that was aimed at blocking a provincial law on assisted dying.
The legislation, which outlines how terminally ill patients can end their lives with medical help, was adopted by members of the national assembly in June 2014 and became law last week.
A Quebec Superior Court justice granted the injunction last month to a group of doctors who were seeking to postpone implementation of the law until at least February.

The injunction was related to a Supreme Court ruling last February that struck down the prohibition on physician-assisted dying.
The Quebec law took effect as planned on Dec. 10 after an appeals court justice granted the government the right to appeal the injunction ruling.
Quebec is the first province to pass such a law, arguing it is an extension of end-of-life care and thus a health issue, which falls under provincial jurisdiction.